


Fairytale in New York

by kins90



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-27
Updated: 2013-03-27
Packaged: 2017-12-06 15:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/737162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kins90/pseuds/kins90
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in 2016, Harry takes Louis and their children Darcy and Lucas to New York for Louis’ birthday, but starts acting suspiciously when they get there. What is he up to…?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fairytale in New York

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this fic by request of my friend Ana. Her prompt was "a future fic in which Louis and Harry have kids and take them to the zoo."  
> Well, I kind of missed the zoo part out, but the rest pretty much just ran away with me. As you will probably tell, there was no real plot. Un-beta’d, so all mistakes are my own. Feedback is, as always, very welcome. The characters in this story do not belong to me (apart from Charlie Atkin, Celeste Winterman and Amanda). Hope you enjoy this and thank you for reading!

The crisp autumn air whistles through the trees, shaking loose leaves to the ground. There’s a light drizzle coming down, threatening to become something more, but they’re wrapped up warm in their scarves and gloves so he isn’t really worried. He stops walking in order to adjust his beanie over his curls, and smiles fondly at the sight in front of him. He takes his iPhone out of his pocket and loads up the video recorder. Louis kicks a huge pile of leaves into the air. The blue-eyed, curly-haired little girl stood beside him looks up in awe as the leaves go flying, and then smiles in wonder as they come floating back to the ground. She picks up as many leaves as her tiny hands can manage, before throwing them at Louis.

Louis cries in outrage and starts throwing them back at her. Harry takes a moment to feel sorry for the park ranger. Poor guy probably spent half of the morning tidying them up into one big pile, only for his fianc￩ and their daughter to come along and create this great big mess. He saves the video recording and slips his phone back into his pocket, before crouching down beside the pram he was pushing, turning to the little boy sat inside of it. “I think Darcy gets her messiness from her daddy, donﾒt you, Lucas?” The two-year old smiles at Harry and claps his hands, before returning his attentions to the packet of milky bar buttons in his lap. Harry chuckles and gives his son’s cheek an affectionate stroke with the back of his index finger, before moving to stand up again.

“Hey kids, aren’t we supposed to be going to the zoo?” He reminds them. Darcy continues playing, while Louis turns and shoots him a look, comparable to that of a puppy that’s just been kicked. “Are you implying that I’m a child, babe?” Louis asks, as he walks towards Harry with their daughter in tow. He puts his hands on Harry’s hips and rubs their noses together in an Eskimo kiss. “Well if the cap fits…” Harry tells him. “Mean.” Louis whispers against his lips, before pressing their mouths together in a gentle kiss. Smiles creep across their faces as Louis kisses Harry again, twice for good measure, before picking Darcy up to sit her on his shoulders. “Ready?” He smiles at Harry, and the younger man nods. They begin to walk towards the zoo, pushing Lucas’ pram together. Harry smiles at his family in wonderment. He remembers a time when he never thought it’d be possible - being like this with Louis in public - and having their two beautiful children makes the long journey that brought them here all the more worthwhile. Life, Harry decides, is perfect. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Louis wakes up the following morning, he heads straight for the kitchen. Harry is sat on the counter, speaking quietly into his phone, and when he spots his fiancé, he mumbles quick excuses into his phone and promptly ends the call. “Morning baby,” Louis says, pressing a quick kiss to Harry’s lips. “Kids still asleep?” He asks, before leaning around Harry to switch the kettle on. “No, no. They woke up pretty early so I put a DVD on for them.” Harry smiles. “Oh okay. You should’ve come back to bed then. Who was on the phone?” The older boy enquires curiously. “Oh erm, nobody. Nick! It was Nick.” Harry tells him, quickly correcting himself. Louis frowns. “Make your mind up babe, was it nobody or was it Nick?” He teases. “It was Nick. Babe, what’s with all the questions?” The younger boy sighs, and Louis doesn’t get the chance to reply because Harry’s phone starts ringing. He answers it, slipping out of the kitchen (and earshot), leaving Louis feeling rather confused. 

After the mysterious phone call, Harry gets dressed and excuses himself, telling Louis that he has an errand to run and that he’ll be back soon.

That was a few hours ago.

It’s rainy out, and they promised the kids a day at the park, but Darcy takes one look out of the window and frowns in distaste. “Daddy, we’re not going out there are we? My curls will go flat!” She states, matter-of-factly, and this makes Louis laugh. She truly is Harry’s daughter. “No sweetheart. I don’t really want to go out there either - Daddy doesn’t really wear the right shoes for rain.” Louis tells her, scrunching his nose up at the idea of his feet getting soggy in his TOMs. “BOX!” Lucas exclaims, stretching his arms out and wiggling his fingers. Louis looks around the room in confusion, trying to locate a box, when Darcy taps his shoulder and points to the corner. “Blocks.” She tells him, correcting her brother. Louis rolls his eyes and slaps his own forehead. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He smiles, stroking her curls, before jumping up from his spot on the floor to get Lucas’ blocks. He empties the container onto the floor and Lucas giggles at the sound they make as they hit the floor. It doesn’t take long before he’s bouncing up and down happily, trying to build something with his blocks. Louis turns, and crawls towards Darcy on his hands and knees. “So, what would you like to do baby? Cartoons? DVD? Tiddlywinks?” Louis suggests. Darcy flashed Louis her brightest smile and Louis gulps. Harry used to get that same mischievous glint in his eye when he was 16 and wanted to talk Louis into doing something he didn’t want to do. He concludes that since she is very much like her father, he should probably be a little be a little bit worried. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first thing Harry hears as he walks through the front door of their home is “Faster daddy, faster!” - along with a lot of shouting and banging. He raises an eyebrow and quietly creeps down the hallway to investigate. He cracks the door open a smidgen and pokes his head through the space. He chokes out a laugh at the sight playing out in front of him. Lucas is banging his plastic tambourine on the floor, while singing (or rather, shouting) “La la la” at the top of his little lungs, over and over again. Louis is on his hands and knees, crawling around the room. Darcy is pulling at his braces - quite forcefully - with her left hand, and is slapping Louis’ shoulder with her right, while telling him to go faster. She’s wearing her tiara, and Harry concludes that she must be playing princesses, and Louis is her horse. Poor Louis looks worn out, and Harry feels guilty for leaving him alone with them for so long.

“What’s all this noise?!” Harry asks, stepping into the room, deciding to save Louis from his torture. Everyone stops what they are doing, and Harry sees the relief flooding across his fiancé’s face. “Princesses!” Darcy beams brightly. Harry looks from their daughter to their son, who simply looks at him and says “Bam!” He then looks at Louis. “Apparently our daughter thinks I’m a horse.” Louis blushes. “Papa, where did you go for so long?”” Darcy asks, as she climbs down off of Louis’ back. “It’s a surprise. Come here.” Harry tells her, beckoning with his finger. She rushes forwards towards Harry, and he crouches down to her height. “Give this to daddy…” Louis hears him say, but he whispers the rest so that he cant be heard. Harry passes her a chunky white envelope and kisses her cheek. She turns and skips back to Louis, holding the envelope out to him. “Happy Birthday daddy from Lucas and me!” she tells him, beaming with pride. “Thank you my little darlings!” Louis gushes. “Open!” Lucas chimes in, clapping his chunky hands. “Daddy can’t open it now, Lucas! There’s another 10 days until my birthday!” Louis exclaims. “Actually babe, you’ve gotta open it now otherwise it wont be any good.” Harry explains. Louis’ eyes flicker between the envelope, Harry and back again in curiosity. “Open, open!” Lucas encourages. “Alrighty, here goes…” Louis says, carefully opening the envelope.

It’s full of documents, and Louis frowns up at Harry, before he tips out the contents and starts sifting through the papers. “What does it say, daddy?” Darcy asks, peering over his shoulder to try and read what it says. “It says, Tomlinson Louis - outbound flight number BA7021 LHR-JFK. Departs December 17th 2016. Inbound flight number BA7022, returning December 27th 2012’.” Louis reads, confusion evident in his voice. “But what does that mean?” Darcy frowns. “It means, my little sugarplum, that we’re going to New York for daddy’s birthday!” Harry beams. “Seriously?” Louis asks in disbelief. “Seriously! Re-read the documents, it’s all written down! I know you’ve always wanted to go to New York for your birthday, and we’ve never had the chance before now with work and everything. I guess I just thought that, while we’re taking a year out, we might as well do it.” Harry shrugs. Louis stands and walks towards Harry, linking their hands together. “Thank you, so, so much. I love you.” He tells the younger man, leaning in to kiss him, Darcy scrambles forward and covers Lucas’ eyes with one of her dainty hands, before clamping the other hand down on her own, and all they can do is laugh, as Lucas yells “Yucky!!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day they fly out to New York is… Well. Harry would say it was stressful, but Louis refers to it as eventful. Lucas goes missing five minutes before their taxi shows up, which delays them. Harry loads their luggage into the vehicle, while Darcy and Louis search their home high and low for the little boy. The thing about living in a house this size, Louis notes, is that there are too many places for small children to hide. Good for when you’re playing hide and seek, but not so good when you have a plane to catch. It’s Darcy who finds him in the end, hiding in Harry and Louis’ music studio underneath the desk. She grabs him by the collar of his little pilot jacket, tells him off for being a naughty boy and marches him up to Louis as fast as her little legs can take them.

They’re relatively well behaved in the queue for check-in and security, and they complain minimally about being bored because Louis keeps them entertained with ‘I spy’. They get through to the departure lounge, and Harry wanders off to make a phone call, leaving Louis to cope with two - now very excited - children. He sits for a while, wondering how he can entertain a two year old with limited resources - and he’s about to suggest that they head over to the window to see if they can spot their plane, when he turns and sees that Darcy has wandered off. He takes a deep breath, reminding himself not to panic. There aren’t many places she could’ve gone… Right?

He scoops Lucas into his arms and begins wandering around, randomly asking people if they’ve seen his curly-haired menace of a daughter. An elderly lady grabs his arm, pointing him in the direction of the toy and sweet section of the duty-free area, and Louis mentally kicks himself for not checking there first. He finds her sat on the floor in front of a huge display of teddies, playing with a cute cream one that’s wearing a Santa hat. “Hey little miss! What have me and your papa told you about wandering off? A bad man could’ve taken you!” He says softly, sitting himself and Lucas down next to her. “I didn’t think you’d notice.” she sniffles, blinking back tears. “Sweetheart, why would you even say something like that?” Louis asks, brows furrowing in confusion. A single tear breaks loose and trails off down her cheek. “Because papa wouldn’t. Not anymore.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Louis watches his two beautiful children sleep. After the seat belt sign had been removed, Darcy had lifted the arm rest so that Lucas could sleep on her, wrapping an arm around his shoulders protectively. Louis draped a blanket over them to keep them warm, and they fell asleep around an hour into the flight. It’s the cutest thing that Louis has ever seen. Harry is sat across the aisle from them, a stressful look etched on his face as he taps away furiously on his laptop. Louis casts him a sideways glance as Darcy’s words echo in his mind. He makes a mental note to talk to her alone at some point, before he curls up in his own seat, allowing sleep to consume him.

Ana meets them at JFK airport. Harry made sure to tell her that they were coming, arranging for her to have an extra child seat fitted in the range rover for Lucas (he wasn’t born the last time they came here), and to bring his car to the airport so that they don’t have to wait around for a taxi. They drop her off at her apartment on their home, and Louis slips her some money for the car seat, the petrol and her time. Harry opens the car door for her like a gentleman, and insists on walking her to her front door. She’s about to go inside, when Harry grabs her arm and stops her from doing so. He leans in, whispering something to her, and her mouth drops in shock. She nods vigorously and kisses his cheek, before turning to unlock her door, entering her home. Harry returns to the car, starts the engine and pulls out of Ana’s driveway, heading off in the direction of their apartment. “What was that all about with Ana?” Louis enquires, trying his best to keep his voice sounding casual. “What was what?” Harry frowns in confusion. “Nothing, never mind.” Louis sighs, turning his head to lean it on the glass, watching the streets pass the by. He’s tired after their flight, and not particularly in the mood for Harry’s guessing games. If the younger man is going to be deliberately evasive, then Louis decides to just let him get on with it. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Louis wakes up in a cold and empty bed. His eyes flicker open, adjusting to the light, and he frowns in confusion. He slips out of bed, into his dressing gown and slippers, before padding out into the living room. Darcy is sat eating toast on the sofa while watching nickelodeon and Ana is in the kitchen, feeding Lucas his breakfast. “Good morning, Mr. Tomlinson.” She greets him. “Ana please, how many times? It’s Louis! Anyway, I don’t mean to sound rude, but what are you doing here, where’s Harry?” He questions. “Mr Styles called me very early and asked if I could come and see to the children. He said he’d been called away on business and he didn’t want to wake you after such a long flight. He knew you’d be jet-lagged.” Ana explains. Louis doesn’t reply. He isn’t entirely awake yet and her words are still filtering into his sleepy brain. Business? They’re on a career break - well, everyone except Zayn, who’s doing the odd spot of modelling here and there for Armani - it makes no sense. “Can I get you anything? Breakfast? A Coffee?” Ana offers. “Erm, no. No I’m okay for now, thank you Ana.” He smiles. Ana nods, before continuing to feed Lucas. “Hey Ana, did Harry say what time he’d be back?” Louis asks. “No Mr Tomlinson, I’m sorry.” She offers him a sympathetic smile as he turns and retreats to the bedroom.

He picks up the phone from the bedside table, scrolling down his list of contracts until he reaches Harry’s number. It rings twice before voicemail kicks in. “Hey, you’ve reached Harry. I can’t come to the phone right now, but leave me your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!” Harry’s pre-recorded voice tells him, followed by a long beep. Louis takes a deep breath to calm himself before he begins to speak. “Hey Hazza, it’s me… Louis. You know, your fiancé? Listen, I don’t know what’s going on but I wake up and you’re gone… Then Ana tells me you’re away on business. Like, what does that even mean? Where are you Haz? Call me back.” Louis huffs, ending the call. He pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger and massages, trying to relieve the tension forming there. They haven’t even been here 12 hours and he’s already stressed. So much for a relaxing family holiday.

Louis makes his way back out to the living room, before poking his head around the kitchen door. “Hey Ana, do you mind looking after Lucas for the day?” He smiles. He doesn’t need to charm her, but he feels shitty for being off with her before. It wasn’t her fault after all, the least he can do is give the poor girl a smile. “Sure, but I thought…” she begins, but Louis cuts her off. “Just Lucas. I need to spend some quality time with my daughter.” He tells her, and Darcy’s ears prick up at the mention of the word ‘daughter’. “Sure, no problem. What do I tell Harry when he comes back?” She frowns. “Tell him I got called away on business. Well, if it works for him it should work for me too, right?” He winks, and she chuckles as she gets up to clear the table and set about doing the dishes. “Darcy darling, go and get washed and dressed. Daddy’s taking you out.” Louis informs her. “Where we going, daddy?” she questions. “It’s a surprise!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Daddy, no! I’m scared!” Darcy whines. “Sweetheart, you’ll be fine, I promise! Would daddy ever let anything hurt you?” It’s a cheap shot and Louis knows it, but he also knows it’ll make her change her mind. She chews her bottom lip as she thinks it over - a habit she gets from Harry - and he holds out his hand to her. She draws in a shaky breath and steps down onto the ice, little eyes widening with fright as her boots glide, making her move faster than she expected. “Daddy!” She squeals, but Louis has a tight grip on her gloved hands and he isn’t about to let her fall. “It’s okay princess, I’ve got you.” He promises. Louis starts moving backwards slowly, pulling his daughter around the ice rink. Once they hit a reasonable pace and she knows she isn’t going to fall, Darcy feels brave enough of one of Louis’ hands so they can skate around normally. Louis beams with pride. They skate around the rink a few times, when Darcy notices that snow is falling around them. “Daddy! Daddy, look! Snow!” She beams. “Sick! Maybe if it snows enough we’ll be able to make a snowman!” He tells her. “Can we, daddy? Promise?” She asks. “I promise! Now come on sweet-pea, lets go and get a nice warm drink, heat ourselves up a bit. Then we’re gonna do something really cool!” He exclaims, leading them off the rink.

Louis buys them a hot chocolate each from a nearby drinks cart, and Darcy has to hold the polystyrene cup in both hands because it’s so big. The snow is coming down a bit heavier now, laying on the ground around them - it crunches under their feet as they walk through Central Park. Louis pauses, fishing his phone out of his pocket when he hears it ring. Harry’s name is flashing up on the screen, and Louis questions whether or not he should answer the call. “Who is it, daddy?” Darcy asks, blinking up at him through snowflake dusted eyelashes. “Nobody sweetheart, it can wait.” He tells her, hitting the disconnect button as they begin walking again. “Was it papa?” She asks him knowingly. “Yeah, it was… Sweetheart, do you remember what you said to me at the airport yesterday, about how papa wouldn’t notice if you went missing? What did you mean?” He frowns. “He’s always on the phone. He never spends time with us now.” She sniffles, and Louis can’t tell if it’s from the cold or if she’s crying. It’s adorable and heartbreaking at the same time, and Louis just doesn’t know what to say. “I miss when you worked. At least we saw him then.” She pouts. 

Louis gives a deep sigh. It was the group’s decision to take a year out from the band so that they could pursue things individually, but ultimately for Harry and Louis, they decided on it so that they could spend more time with their kids. He never expected to be having this conversation with his daughter. “Well, he has been a little busy recently… What about me? Do I spend enough time with you?” He asks, nervously questioning his own parenting. “Yes!” She smiles, and Louis lets out a sigh of relief. “I love you daddy.” she tells him. “I love you too sweetheart. Now, do you see where that lamp-post is, right over there?” He questions, pointing between two trees to show her where he means and she nods her little head vigorously. “Ill race you to it!” He says, taking the polystyrene cup from her hands. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!” He teases, as he starts sprinting towards the area he pointed out. “Hey!” Darcy shrieks, chasing after him. When she catches up to him, Louis purposefully slows down so that she can beat him, ands she comes to a grinding halt by the lamppost. “I win, I win!” She giggles as she tries to catch her breath. “Damn, you beat me!” Louis sighs dramatically.

A middle aged man, in his mid-to-late 60s, Louis decides, approaches them from inside of the little hut they’re stood next to. “Now you kids look like you could use a sit down. How about a tour of New York in this lovely horse-drawn carriage?” He asks, mainly directing his focus to Darcy. Her eyes light up as her smile stretches across her face. “Can we daddy? Can we?” She pleads. Louis shoots the man a cheeky wink before crouching down to Darcy’s height. “Well I don’t know pumpkin, the snow’s coming down quite a bit and it’s getting cold now. I don’t want to take home an ice sculpture instead of a daughter…” he says, rubbing his chin in mock contemplation. “Please! Pretty pretty please with a hundred million gazillion cherries on top! Ill clean up all my toys and help Lucas get ready for bed every night!” Darcy begs. “Hmm. Peter pan pinkie promise?” Louis asks, extending his pinkie finger towards her. She grins, looping her tiny pinkie around his before shaking on it to seal the deal. “Well, you’d best get in then!” Louis tells her, as he lifts her up into the buggy. He climbs in after her and covers them both in the blanket provided. The old man jumps in the front, whipping the horses with the reins, and they begin to move.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Louis struggles to open the door to the apartment upon their return. He’s got one arm around Darcy - who thankfully has her arms wrapped securely around his neck, and her legs wrapped around his waist - she fell asleep a few blocks before home. The other hand is full of shopping bags. There was a sale on in Bloomingdales and well, he may or may not have bought half of the store. He eventually manages to make it inside, and drops the bags on the floor quietly before shutting the door. The clock reads 7pm - way past Lucas’ bedtime. Louis feels guilty for missing it, but Darcy suggested that they buy him some building blocks while they were out, so he’s sure his son will forgive him.

He carries Darcy to her room, and very carefully slips her out of her clothes and into her pyjamas. He tucks her in and kisses her forehead, before slipping quietly out of the room. When he returns to the living room, he finds Harry sat on the couch with a cup of tea. His face is void of emotion, but Louis can almost feel the waves of anger coming off of him. “Where have you been?” The younger man asks. “Didn’t Ana tell you?” Louis frowns as he kicks off his Toms before putting them on the shoe rack. “Yeah, she said you’d been called away on business and that you’d taken Darcy with you.” Harry tells him. “Well then why are you asking me if you already know the answer?” Louis enquires. “We’re on a career break, Lou. Not only that, we’re on holiday in New York. What business could you possibly have to attend to?” Harry questions him. “Hmm, you know, it’s funny because that was exactly what I asked when Ana told me that you’d been called away on business.” Louis chuckles humorlessly. Harry’s expression softens immediately. “Look Louis, I…” Harry begins, but is cut off by the sound of his phone blaring out. Their eyes meet, and Louis gives him a challenging look. “I’m sorry. I’ve gotta take this. Just, just give me a minute then we can…” Harry tries to say, but Louis speaks over him. “Do you know what, Harry? Don’t bother.” He growls, and all Harry can do is watch as Louis picks up his bags and storms off to the spare bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry disappears. He’s gone in a morning before Louis gets up, and he only comes back late at night when Louis is pretending to be asleep. Louis holds Darcy as she cries herself to sleep one night, asking if it’s her fault that Harry left. She promises to ask less questions and make less mess and help out more with Lucas if he’ll come back. Once she’s asleep, Louis holds her tight and cries himself to sleep on her bed.

Ana has to come and help him. She’s only supposed to be their tour nanny, but Louis cant cook, and as much as the kids like beans on toast and alphabetti spaghetti, he’s pretty sure they’re starting to get fed up of it on a daily basis. It doesn’t hurt that she’s a grown up either. The Doncaster man loves his children, but Louis would be lying if he said that he hadn’t hungered for a conversation that doesn’t revolve around cartoon network and spongebob square pants.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day before Louis’ birthday, Ana takes the kids to the park and urges the older boy to try and sort things out with Harry. He’s not entirely sure what there is to sort out, or even who is to blame for this godforsaken mess they appear to have found themselves in, but Louis figures that they should at least try and talk things over for the sake of the kids, if not themselves. So he dials Harry’s number, and less than half an hour later the younger man turns up at their apartment, waving the metaphorical white flag. Harry stands with both hands in his jeans pockets, scuffing his dirty white converse on the floor, while Louis stands with his arms crossed defensively.

“So what did you…”

“Harry, where have you…”

They both say at the same time, both letting out a chuckles that eases the tension slightly. “You first.” Harry offers, and Louis draws in a deep breath. “Where the hell have you been Harry?” He wonders aloud. “Just… Just sorting stuff out, business.” The younger man shrugs, somewhat unhelpfully. “Harry, what does that even mean? We’re on a career break, you said so yourself, what business could you possibly have to attend to over here? You disappear at the drop of a hat, sneaking in and out in the early hours of the morning when you think I’m sleeping. If you’re not out on ‘business’, you’re on the laptop or running off to take private phone calls. You know our daughter, Harry? Do you remember Darcy? She went missing at Heathrow airport, and do you know what she said when I found her? Do you know what she said when I asked why she’d ran off? She said ‘I didn’t think you’d notice because papa never does anymore’.” Louis trails off. He’s not sure when he stopped talking and started shouting, but Harry doesn’t reply. So Louis carries on.

“When we got here and I took her out the next day, I asked her what she meant when she said that. She said you never have time for her and Lucas anymore because you’re always on the phone and do you know what, Harry? She’s right! You’re never here! And I held her in my arms the other night, while she cried herself to sleep thinking that it’s her damn fault that you’re gone! She’s four years old, Harry! She shouldn’t be picking up on shit like this!” He exclaims, throwing his arms up in the arm between them for emphasis. “Its not her fault.” Harry mutters. Louis scoffs. “I know that! You know that! But she doesn’t! Which makes me think that if the kids aren’t the problem, then it must be me. And I cant think of a single thing that I’ve done for you to have just started acting like this!” Louis rages. “Louis I promise you, you haven’t done anything.” Harry tries to reassure him. “I want you to answer me a question, Harry. And I want you to be honest…” Louis tells him, somewhat calmer.

Harry doesn’t speak, choosing to nod his head instead. “Are you having an affair?” Harry’s head snaps up and their eyes lock on each other. “How could you even ask me that?!” Harry gasps. “I dunno, Harry. It makes sense though, you don’t have to be Einstein to draw that conclusion.” Louis tells him. Harry just stares at him in shock, not quite able to process the accusation. He rarely gets angry, but when he does, it’s not pretty - and he’s trying not to blow a fuse with Louis. “Do you remember our first time Louis?” Harry asks him. “Of course I do! Harry, what does that…” Louis begins, but Harry cuts him off. “Do you remember what I said when you asked if I was sure?” The Cheshire man questions. “You said that you’d never been more sure of anything. You said…”

“You’re my first, Louis, and I promise you’re gonna be my last. I love you more than anyone ever, and ill love you for the rest of my life.” Harry finishes for him. “You were 16, Harry! Louis argues. “Yeah? Well I meant it then and I still mean it now. I cant believe you think I’d sleep with someone else.” Harry chokes, eyes brimming with tears that threaten to spill over. Harry doesn’t say anything else, neither does Louis, and they remain in silence until the only sound that can be heard is the clicking of the door as Harry shuts it behind him when he leaves. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Louis wakes up the following morning to an empty apartment. There’s a card from Ana wishing him a happy birthday, and also a note saying that she’s taken the kids to buy him a card and present, and that they wont be long. He notices that she has time-stamped the note at 10:30am, and sighs as he notes that he has missed them by half an hour. 

He checks through his tweets as he eats a bacon and egg sandwich he made himself for breakfast. There are literally thousands of tweets and DMs from the fans wishing him a wonderful day, as well as a few Christmas messages, and #HarryJingleLouisBells is trending worldwide. He tweets a quick thank you message to them all, before putting his phone down to take his plate away and get a quick shower. He barely gets halfway to the kitchen before he’s interrupted by a knock at the door. He puts the plate down on the living room table and opens the door. Before him stands a woman that Louis determines is either in her late thirties or early forties, with shoulder length blonde curls that remind him of Harry’s. She wears a crisp black trouser-suit and is carrying a clothes bag.

“Hi, erm… Can I help you?” Louis asks. “Yes! Well at least, I hope you can! My name is Celeste Winterman, Zayn sent me! He flew in last night to do a runway photo-shoot this afternoon, but one of the models has pulled out due to illness. Now, Zayn knew you were here, and apparently you’re the same size and build as this model, so we were both kind of hoping you could fill in and save our asses. I know it’s really short notice and it’s your birthday but you’d really be helping us out…” She explains. Louis looks her up and down, before frowning at her. “Look… Come in for a second.” Louis says, holding the door open for her. He black heels click on the laminate floor of his apartment as she crosses the threshold. “Listen, you don’t mind if I call Zayn to check this out with him, do you?” Louis asks. “Oh no, of course not! Crazy stalkery fans, I get it!” She chuckles, as she lays the clothes bag neatly across the back of his couch. “Yeah, something like that… Sit down, I’ll be right back.” Louis instructs, and as he disappears into the kitchen, she does just that.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, this photo-shoot thing - Zayn said the proceeds of the magazine go to a children’s hospice?” Louis asks when he reappears from the kitchen. She looks confused for a second, but then her eyes light up with realisation. “Yes! Absolutely. And you’d be helping them out big time! So please say you’ll do it? Please?” She begs, chocolaty-brown eyes pleading with him embarrassingly. “Fine, okay! Just, I need a quick shower and then I’ll be right with you.” He sighs. “Oh brilliant! Thank you so, so much for this! Here, take this suit with you - Zayn sent it. It’s Armani!” She beams as she hands it to him. “Right, okay. Thanks. Erm, just… make yourself at home, put the TV on or something, I’ll be as quick as I can.” Louis tells her, before wandering off to the bathroom. Celeste looks around the room interestedly at the photos and possessions until she hears the sound of water running. She then digs her phone out of her jacket pocket and dials, putting the phone to her ear. “Hello, Harry? It’s Celeste… Yeah he fell for it alright, hook, line and sinker. He’s just getting ready now…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Louis stares out of the window at the passing scenery as they drive through the country in a limousine. They’ve been driving for what feels like hours and he feels stifled in his expensive black Armani suit. Celeste is sat beside him, alternating between tapping away furiously into her iPhone and barking orders into her earpiece. “Celeste, where are we going? I thought the shoot was in the city?” Louis enquires, as soon as he’s able to get a word in edge-ways. “No, silly! Didn’t I mention? It’s in this big, beautiful stately home in the country! You’ll love it! Excuse me, Louis, I’m sorry…Hello?” Celeste smiles apologetically as she answers her ringing phone. Louis gives a soft sigh and returns his focus to the scenery. This is a far cry from how he’d imagined his birthday to be. 

His phone bleeps to alert him of a text message, and he fishes his own iPhone out of his pocket. A photo of him kissing Harry’s cheek has popped up on the screen, along with his fiancé’s name. He slides his thumb across the screen to unlock the phone and read the message. “Happy birthday. Sorry I couldn’t be there .x” is all it says. Louis feels a single tear escape his eye, making a wet trail down his face, across his chiseled cheekbone, before changing its direction to fall down to his chin, where it drips onto his white shirt. He wonders how it came to this, how things went wrong so quickly between him and Harry. He takes a deep breath and mentally reprimands himself. There’s a time and a place for an emotional breakdown, and this is neither.

“This is it!” Celeste announces cheerily as the Limousine makes a right turn and drives slowly down a long, gravely road. Louis feels his jaw drop. Celeste’s ‘Stately home’ description didn’t really do the place any justice. 'Gosford Park meets Downton Abbey' might’ve been more apt. It’s easily spread across 200 acres, surrounded by beautiful gardens. It has a staircase leading up to the entrance, with two large pillars either side, which are decorated with red and green tinsel. Louis hasn’t been rendered speechless very many times in his life, but it’s safe to say that this occasion is one of the few. The limousine turns left at the end of the drive, before coming to a halt in front of the staircase.

“Come on then, out you get!” Celeste smiles at him. Louis nods and does as instructed, opening the limousine door. He can see his breath as he steps out of it, and hears Celeste curse at the cold as she hurries them both up the staircase. The door swings open, and there, standing on the other side to greet them, stands Zayn. Louis isn’t sure which of them is wearing the bigger grin as they rush towards each other with open arms. “Now then mate! Happy Birthday! It’s been a while, how’ve you been?” Zayn asks as they hug each other tightly. “Cheers man! It’s been too long, but, you know. Same old, same old. You?” Louis asks, attempting to change the subject as they pull apart and walk into the house. “Busy! Very busy, I think I had more time to relax when we were on the road touring than I do now! Thanks for this by the way mate, you’re really helping me out!” Zayn smiles at him.

“Louis William Tomlinson! What on earth? Sack your hairdresser, she’s no good!” A small smile ghosts across Louis’ face in recognition of the voice, and he turns to where the sound of heels are clicking down the grand marble staircase. His whole face lights up as he runs towards her and opens his arms. She skips the last two steps, jumping into his waiting arms, and he spins her around before putting her down and giving her a huge kiss on the cheek. “Bloody hell! Louise Teasdale, what are you doing here?” He asks. “Excuse me sunshine, I think you’ll find it’s Louise Atkin now, especially as you were at my wedding! I’m here for the hair and make-up, and it’s a damn good job I am if you ask me! You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards! Lou scowls, before dragging Louis to the nearest chair to start messing around with his locks. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lou’s almost finished finishing Louis’ hair when a little blonde girl in a pretty blue dress comes bounding down the stairs. “Mummy, is he here yet?” She asks, not bothering to turn her attention away from the stairs in case she misses any. “I sure am, Lux!” Louis says. Lux stops on the stairs and looks up at him. Their eyes meet and he shoots her his most charming smile. She chases down the remaining stairs shouting “Uncle Louis, uncle Louis!” before she launches herself at him. He lifts her onto his knee. “Hey baby Lux!” He says, kissing her cheek. She folds her arms and huffs. “Uncle Louis, I’m five! I’m not a baby anymore!” She states. “Oh, I’m sorry princess!” He teases. “I forgive you!” Lux beams. “Hey baby face, didn’t you have a birthday present for uncle Louis?” Lou reminds her daughter, and Lux’s eyes nearly pop out of her head when she realises that she almost forgot to give it to him. “Oops! Happy birthday Uncle Louis!” She smiles, taking a small box from one of the pockets on her dress.

Louis takes the box from her and opens it up. There inside it, are some silver cuff-links with the initials ‘LT’ on them. He smiles and gives the young girl a big kiss. “Thank you Lux, I love them! Are these from all of you?” He enquires. “Nope, they’re just from me and Charlie.” Lux tells him, and Louis nods as he puts the cuff-links on. “Oh, here you go mate, your tie!” Zayn says, passing Louis a baby-blue tie that matches Lux’s dress. “Right, al done!” Lou exclaims, standing in front of Louis to admire her own handiwork. “Want me to do that tie for you babe?” She offers. “Erm, yes. Please. I still hate doing them! Louis laughs with a slight hint of embarrassment. Lou lifts his collar and puts the tie around Louis’ neck, before her fingers quickly and expertly fix the tie. She tucks it into his jacket before putting his collar back down and smoothing the front of his suit to rid it of the creases. She stands back to take a look at him, and laughs at herself as she wipes away the tears that have welled up in her eyes. “Lou, why are you crying?” Louis frowns. 

“Seven years, I’ve known you. Seven years of ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and some days I never thought this would happen, but here we are and… Oh, I’m so happy for you!” She sobs. “Lou, what are you talking about?” Louis questions her, feeling completely lost. “Oh, ignore me! I’m feeling sentimental… Come on Luxxy, let’s go and get ready!” she tells her daughter, extending a hand out for her to take. Lux takes it, and Lou presses a kiss to Louis’ cheek before they head off up the stairs. 

Louis turns to Zayn with a look of confusion. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not telling me everything?” He asks suspiciously. Erm, probably because I’m not.” Zayn replies, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as he turns toward the staircase, beckoning for the older boy to follow him.” Louis does so, and they begin their ascent of the stairs. “So, there isn’t a photo-shoot. That was just something we told Celeste to tell you in order to get you here. I’m sorry for lying to you mate, but I had to…” Zayn explains. “We? Who’s we? Zayn, what’s going on man?” Louis frowns as they reach the top of the staircase and come to a standstill outside of a room with very large, heavy looking double doors. “Here man, just read this and then tell me what you wanna do. It should answer all of your questions.” Zayn says, reaching to the inside breast pocket of his suit. He pulls out a small scroll of paper, with a familiar black ring wrapped around it, and hands it to Louis. The older man removes the ring from around the paper and unfolds the scroll, before he begins to read. 

_“Dear Louis, happy birthday! I can’t believe you’re 25. You still don’t look (or act, actually) any older than the very first time i laid eyes on you that day in Manchester at the auditions - and i’m just as in love with you now as I was back then. I really did mean it when i said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, that’s why it hurt me so much, that you would even think that i’d have an affair. I promise you, I would never, ever do that. I think (hope, even) that you know that._

_Do you remember Valentine’s day 2012 when you gave me this promise ring at the top of the Eiffel tower? I can still remember everything about that day - what you wore, what I wore. How you looked, how I felt. In that moment it was like we were the only two people that existed in the world. Do you remember what you said to me when you gave me it? You said ‘I wanna give you this ring. It’s not a wedding ring, don’t worry, i’m not proposing! It’s a promise ring. I promise that one day, the whole world will know that i’m in love with you. I promise that we’ll get married, and we’ll have a massive house and beautiful children. I can’t promise that it’s gonna be an easy ride, but I can promise that i’ll stand by you and hold your hand when it all gets tough. Most importantly, I promise that i’ll love you for the rest of my life.’ Well, the whole world knows that I love you. We’ve got two beautiful children - and quite a few massive houses. There’s one promise you haven’t fulfilled yet, though, and I think it’s about time you did. I mean, 7 years is a long time to keep a guy waiting, boo. So, if you really meant it - about us getting married one day, then all you’ve gotta do is walk through these doors and meet me at the other end of the aisle. Everyone’s here. Everyone who matters, anyways. Or, you can turn around and walk away. We can leave things as they are if you’re not ready. So… What do you say? I’ll be waiting. All my love forever, H .xxx”_

Louis looks up at Zayn through teary eyes. “Well I bet you’re feeling a bit of a twat now, yeah?” The Bradford boy asks smugly. “I thought…” Louis trails off. “That he was having an affair? Yeah he said. Gimme a break man, this is Harry. The lad worships the ground you walk on, you’re honestly an idiot if you thin he could do that to you! He’s been planning this for months, Lou! It’s been hell for him, having to be apart from you and the kids. It’s been hell on me, Liam and Niall having to put up with his miserable face all week!” Zayn huffs. “Liam and Niall are here?” Louis asks. “Yeah! You don’t think he planned all of this on his own, do you? Niall arranged the catering, Liam arranged the guest list and organised transport for everyone, accommodation blah blah blah. I sorted the suits - courtesy of Armani by the way, so don’t knacker it cos it’s only borrowed! Then Harry did the rest. He’s been a serious perfectionist about it all, and he’s done a really good job! You should be proud!” Zayn smiles, clapping his hand around the older man’s shoulder. “I can’t get married, Zayn! I’m not ready! I mean, my family -” Louis protests. “Your family are all here, Lou! Harry’s family are all here. Your friends are here. You’ve got the old promise ring, new cuff-links, a borrowed suit and a blue tie. I’d say you’re ready and raring to go. Come on mate, what do you say?” Zayn asks him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zayn opens the double doors, and the guests - who were all sat in their seats, stand and turn their attentions to Louis. “Right mate, good luck!” Zayn whispers as he runs off down the aisle to take his place at the end besides Liam. “Zayn!” Louis hisses after him. He closes his eyes and tries to calm himself with a deep breath, but opens them again when he feels a tug on the sleeve of his jacket. He looks down and sees Darcy standing beside him in a beautiful white dress, complete with a baby blue sash around the waist, along with a sparkly tiara. He crouches down and strokes her cheek lovingly. “You look so beautiful baby.” He compliments her. “Like a princess?” she enquires, taking the hem of her dress in her hands as she curtsies. “Exacty like a princess!” He smiles proudly. “Papa said I have to walk you down the aisle so you can get married like in the fairytales, and then we can live happily ever after. Coming?” She asks him, outstretching her hand. Louis nods and takes her delicate little hand in his own. Lux steps out from thr right of them and starts walking down the aisle, scattering red and white rose petals as she goes. Louis and Darcy take this as their cue and begin their agonisingly slow walk down the aisle, to the sound of an acoustic guitar being beautifully played in the background. When they near the end of the aisle, Louis sees that it is Niall playing the guitar. He should’ve known, really. The Irishman nods and smiles at him acknowledgement when Louis silently mouths him a ‘thank-you’. The Doncaster man kisses his daughter’s cheek before she sits next to Lucas, who is happily bouncing away in Lou’s lap.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Louis finally turns to face Harry, and the younger man looks like he’s trying his best not cry, or burst with excitement, or possibly both. Behind Harry, Louis sees Jay and Anne sat crying with pride, while being consoled by Dan and Robin respectively. Gemma and Des are sat with them, while Lottie, Fizzy, the twins and even Georgia are sat with Mark on the row behind. “Hi.” Harry says sheepishly, bringing Louis attention back to him. “Hi yourself. So… I see you’ve been busy!” Louis jokes, and Harry laughs. “Yeah um, I guess you could say that. Ive gotta say though, for a while I was a bit worried that it had all been for nothing.” Harry says with a shaky voice. “This is what all the secret phone calls and emails were about.” Louis states, and Harry nods. “I nearly told you so many times.” The younger man tells him. “So… I accuse you of having an affair, I was proper shitty to you, and yet, you still want to marry me?” Louis questions. “Strangely enough, yes.” Harry winks. “You’re perfect, I don’t deserve you. I’m so sorry, I love you so much!” Louis mumbles into Harry’s neck as he clings onto him in a tight embrace. They pull back from each other sheepishly when the registrar clears her throat. “When you’re ready, gentlemen, we’ll begin.” She tells them. “Erm yeah, sorry. Go for it love.” Louis instructs, earning soft, resounding chuckles from their guests.

“Welcome, Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Amanda. We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Harry Edward Styles and Louis William Tomlinson. They are about to make promises to one another, with beautiful words that represent even more beautiful intentions. As they live these vows over the years, they will find their bond to be strengthened - no matter how joyous or challenging the situations they face may be, they will face them together, not only as life partners, but more importantly, best friends. No other vows are more important than the ones they are about to make, and therefore i must ask if any of you know any reason why these two people m,ay not be joined together in matrimony.” Amanda says. Louis gulps, and looks around nervously. He’s slightly relieved by the silence that follows Amanda’s words, and smiles fondly at the sight of Lou occupying Lucas with a finger puppet, while Darcy stares up at them adoringly.

“Its always a relief to get that part over and done with!” Amanda smiles, before continuing. “Louis and Harry, the exchanging of these vows is a commitment to make a life together, and to share the uncertainties of the future, knowing that your love for each other remains constant through it all. Today’s union is the first step forward in your journey together as committed life partners. Now, please face each other and join hands.” She instructs, looking down to discover that they are already doing so. “Louis, do you take Harry to be your one true partner, to live together in this sacred union? To love, honour, comfort and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

“Yes. Oh! I mean, I do. I most definitely do!” Louis laughs, and Harry shoots him a dimpled grin. “Then repeat after me. I Louis William Tomlinson, take you, Harry Edward Styles, to be my one true partner. To have and to hold from this day onwards. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for as long as we both shall live.” Amanda says.

“I, Louis William Tomlinson, take you, Harry Edward Styles, to be my one true partner. To have -” he winks, and the blush spreads rapidly across Harry’s face. “And to hold from this day onwards. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for as long as we both shall live.” He repeats. “And Harry, do you take Louis to be your one true partner, to live together in this sacred union? To love, honour, comfort and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?” She questions. “If i must!” Harry jokes, before adding ”I do.” 

“Well then if you could repeat after me.” The registrar tells her, but Harry cuts her off. “I think i can take it from here, thanks.” He smiles, and she nods her approval.

“I, Harry Edward Styles, take you, Louis William Tomlinson, to be my one true partner. To have and to hold from this day onwards. For better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.” Harry beams. 

“You have chosen to exchange rings as a symbol of the promises made here today. The giving and receiving of rings symbolises your love for one another. Louis, if you could place the ring on Harry’s finger and repeat after me.” Louis frowns at the realisation that he doesn’t have a ring to give Harry, but Liam jumps up and hands him one with a crafty wink. “Oh, cheers Li! We can always count on you to save the day!” The Doncaster man laughs, before placing the ring on Harry’s finger. “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. I promise to be faithful and honest. I’ll respect you, love and care for you, and i will share my life with you.” Louis declares, after listening to Amanda.

Harry places his own ring on Louis’ finger. “I give you this ring as a token of my love for you, and as a symbol of our marriage. I promise to be honest, patient, loving and kind throughout our lives together. I promise to be faithful, caring and respectful, but most importantly, I promise to do all of the cooking so that you don’t burn the house down!” Harry laughs, and even earns himself a chuckle from Amanda, despite the light, playful slap he receives from Louis. “Hey! Did you all see that? We’re not even officially married yet and he’s already hitting me! Domestic abuse! Amanda, is it too late for me to stop this thing and run for the hills?” He winks. “It is, i’m afraid. Louis and Harry, you have expressed your love and commitment through the vows you have made today, and with the exchanging of rings. It is my absolute pleasure to declared that you are now joined together in love and commitment. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the happy couple!” She exclaims, and beings clapping - the rest of their guests following suit. 

“Uncle Hally, uncle Louis, kiss!” Lux shouts over the noise of the applause! “Yeah daddy, aren’t you gonna kiss papa?” Darcy asks. Harry and Louis exchange shy glances. “Well, you heard them. Wouldn’t wanna disappoint them, would you?” Harry asks. “Hmm, it would be rude not to, I suppose - especially seeing as though we’ve never kissed as a married couple before…” Louis points out, before leaning forward to capture Harry’s lips with his own.

***

“I still can’t believe you arranged all of this without me knowing…” Louis says, as Harry leads them to the middle of the manor’s ballroom floor for their first dance. “Hmm, what can I say? I can be pretty sneaky when I put my mind to it. I can’t take all of the credit though, I had a lot of help from the lads.” Harry explains. “Yeah I know, Zayn was telling me. We couldn’t really ask for a better set of mates, could we?” Louis notes appreciatively. “So, what do you think to our ‘first dance’ song then?” Harry asks. “The man who can’t be moved…. I love it. I remember the very first time I saw you whenever I hear this - nearly 10 years ago at The Script’s concert.” Louis smiles fondly as the memory replays in his mind. “I was all unruly curls and baby-fat back then.” Harry chuckles. 

“You were sin, is what you were! I remember… I bumped into one of your mates in the toilet and asked him how old you were. I nearly had a heart attack when he told me you were only 14!” Louis pouts. “I didn’t know that.” Harry smiles, cheekily twirling Louis around before returning to their embrace. “Yeah. Do you remember our first kiss? I damn well made sure i made up for not being able to kiss you at the concert!” Louis winks. “Well, that certainly explains a few things!” Harry laughs. “Yep! You know, i’ve never really believed in fate, but I think it definitely played a part in us meeting again at boot camp.” The younger boy nods in agreement. “Can’t really argue with that.”

“Harry…I’m sorry for being such a dick and accusing you of having an affair.” Louis apologises. “Hey, don’t. I don’t really blame you for thinking that. I mean, secret phone calls, sneaking off at all hours. If i was you, i’d have thought the same thing. It’s not important now.” Harry says, leaning in for a kiss. Somewhere to the left of them, Harry hears the unmistakable sound of Zayn wolf-whistling. He shoots the Bradford boy the middle finger and leans his head down onto Louis’ shoulder. “I love you so much, Harry.” Louis sighs with contentment. “I love you too, Louis.” Harry smiles against his shoulder. 

As he glances around the room, Harry sees Darcy dancing with Lou and Tom’s three-year old son, Charlie. They aren’t really dancing as such - they’re hugging and moving around in circles, but it seems to be working for them. Harry nudges his husband and nods his head in their direction. “Aww! Lou, look!” Louis shouts. Lou looks up to see what he’s pointing at, and promptly interrupts Tom and Zayn’s conversation to show him as well. “Aww, young love!” Tom chuckles, before turning back to Zayn. Lou quickly removes her camera from her bag and takes a picture of the young pair, gushing over the image, before picking Lucas up so she can go and show the photo to Nana Anne and Grandma Jay. “Well I think they make a cute couple!” Louis says, nestling his head back into the crook of Harry’s neck. “Yeah, me too.” Harry agrees. When they get older, Harry will tease Charlie and his daughter about this - and they’ll probably argue that they’re best friends, they don’t like each other that way.

Harry will explain to them that you cant help who you fall for, love just happens. But for now, they’re much too young, and they’re content with being best friends. And there’s nothing wrong with that - Harry should know, he married his.


End file.
